The Labyrinth of Confusion
by Ambezua
Summary: After their adventure with the Gengar, and a close shave with death, Ash and Misty are now lovers. But, will their love be able to survive the perils of the Labyrinth of Confusion? This story promises romance, adventure, and of course more easter eggs R
1. Chapter one: A Night at the Pokecenter

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All characters are the property of Nintendo

Ambezua: Hello, it's me again... Yes, I know it's not been very long since my last story, but, hey, I love writing so much! Yes, I plan on picking up where my last story left off, as a sequel. There will be an all-new cast of villains, so, don't worry about meeting up with the Gengar again. Oh, and, don't expect Team Rocket to be on the good side this time. But... I will be putting a few "easter eggs" in this story too! So, keep your eyes peeled...

The Labyrinth of Confusion

Chapter one: A Night at the Pokecenter

The sun had nearly set as a group of three travelers and a Pikachu wearily followed the steep path up the mountain. Brock walked up front, and held the map out in front of him. Ash usually got them lost whenever he led, so, they had unanimously selected Brock to lead them through the mountain pass. Pikachu hopped along after Brock, occasionally glancing back toward Ash and Misty, who walked side-by-side, holding hands. Pikachu trusted Brock's leadership, but couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive about the mountain... Something just didn't seem quite right about it...

They had been walking for several hours, and Misty could already feel the fatigue weighing her down. She felt as if her shoes were made of lead, each step was significantly harder than the last. She gently laid her head on ash's shoulder, and slightly leaned into him. She closed her eyes and continued walking, trusting Ash to hold her upright.

Ash felt Misty's pressure as she leaned over onto him. He didn't mind, in fact, he rather liked it. He took his eyes off the road ahead and looked down at Misty. Her eyes were still closed, much like when she slept. He let go of her hand, and wrapped his harm around her shoulders, to support her better. She murmured something unintelligible as thanks. She slowly opened her eyes, and stared at Ash, who continued to stare back.

'She has such beautiful, blue eyes...' Ash thought to himself.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Brock shattered the moment, "get a room for crying out loud!"

Ash and Misty suddenly snapped back to reality. They had stopped walking, and had been staring at each other as Brock and Pikachu waited impatiently.

"Pika, Pika..." Pikachu mumbled to himself.

'human behavioral habits can be SO confusing...' Pikachu pondered, 'I don't think I will ever figure them out.'

"Pikapi, Chu Pikachu!" (Ash, you are beginning to remind me of Brock!)

Ash and Misty blushed, and released each other from the embrace.

"Let's get moving!" Brock shouted.

'It's been nearly a week since they last had a heated argument...' Brock thought, 'and their constant obsession with each other is REALLY beginning to get on my nerves... I know that they are in love with each other, they even admitted it. But, I still can't understand why they are so different lately... I mean, come on, Misty hasn't even slammed me with her mallet in days!'

"According to the map, there should be a Pokecenter just over this ridge..." Brock explained, as they continued on their way.

"But... Brock, you said that an hour ago." Misty yawned

"Are you sure you are holding the map the right way?" Ash asked sleepily.

Brock simply shrugged off their comments, and focused his attention on the road ahead.

Sure enough, as they passed the ridge, there stood the Pokecenter, off to the side of the road. They slipped through the doors, relieved that they had finally arrived. Ash and Misty quickly walked over to the couches in the lobby and laid down, each on their own couch.

"I will go get some rooms for us... you two can just sit back, and relax on the couches." Brock offered, blushing slightly.

"and give you free reign to flirt with Nurse Joy?" Misty raised up her head

She didn't need an answer though, since Brock was already at the front desk staring at Nurse Joy and mumbling another one of his pathetic pick-up monologues.

"...the radiance of your eyes outsides the sun with their beauty, and your love and care for pokemon is only overshadowed my my love for you!"

Nurse Joy, a bit surprised at first, was trying her best to not to become annoyed. Misty left Ash on the couch and walked over to rescue Joy.

"I guess only one thing gets through to you, eh, Romeo?" she slammed him with her mallet, picked up their room keys, briefly thanked Nurse Joy, and began dragging Brock off to their rooms.

They began to look over their two rooms. They looked well-kept, yet simple, with double beds in each room, a nightstand, and a small TV.

Brock, who had by now gotten back up on his own feet, looked over at Ash and Misty suspiciously.

"You two don't intent on sleeping together, do you?"

Ash and Misty blushed, and glanced at each other quickly.

"Why, w-what would give you an idea like that?" Misty managed to stammer.

Ash simply looked around the room nervously, unable to respond.

"I dunno... It's just that you two have been acting rather strange lately, like your already married." Brock laid back onto the bed, grinning and savoring the moment.

"What?!" Ash finally managed to blurt out, "come on, Brock, we're not like that... And you know it."

"Pika..."

Pikachu "teardropped"

"I think your jsut jealious, Brock..." Misty stepped over to Brock.

In fact, Misty had jsut hit the nail right on the head... Or, rather, the Brock. Brock resented the fact that Ash had managed to get a girlfirend before himself. Ash was enjoying what he so desperately desired. Rather than adress that difficult topic, Brock decided that a differet approach to the situation would fit his purposes better.

"Well, actually, I was going to go over to the food court and pick up some dinner for us all, how about you two work things out?"

"Uh.. Thanks, Brock" Misty raised her eyebrow, a bit confused.

"No problem... But, remember, if I catch you two doing anything while I'm gone, I will take matters into my own hands."

Brock winked at Pikachu, signaling him to keep an eye on them while he was away.

"Pika, Pi-Pi chu" (don't worry, I will tell you if I see anything)

Even though Brock couldn't understand a word Pikachu said, he knew that the electric mouse would make it known to him in some fashion if Ash and Misty went at it. Brock nodded then quietly walked out the door.

Misty walked over and sat next to Ash on the bed. They both kept their eyes focused on the floor in front of them, not saying a word. Pikachu's watchful eyes kept locked on, even as he stretched out for a rest on top of the TV set. Misty slowly slid her hand over to Ash's side, who slid his hand over as well and grasped it. Pikachu didn't seem to notice... In fact, he suddenly felt VERY tired.

'You know... I could just take a nap... Just a short nap...'

Pikachu closed his eyes for just a moment, then quickly drifted off into a deep slumber...

Without a moment's notice, Misty lept into Ash's arms, knocking him right off the bed. they feel onto the floor with a rather loud thud. Misty quickly lifted her head off of ash and looked toward Pikachu, who appeared to still be quietly sleeping. misty let out a sigh of relief. She looked down at ash, who she was still sitting on. Ash didn't seem to mind, and had taken the opportunity to wrap his arms around her lower back. Misty blushed, then settled back down onto Ash, enjoying their closeness.

"I love you, Misty"

"I love you too, Ash."

They simply lay on the floor for a few minutes, enjoying the embrace. Then, something started to come over them...

"Hey, guys, I'm back!" Brock slammed the door open.

Pikachu's eyes snapped open, and he jumped over to Brock to get his bottle of ketchup. Ash and Misty bolted up off the floor, and stood up. Ash's hat was missing, and his clothes were all wrinkled. Misty's hair was in disarray, and was no longer pulled back into her signature ponytail, and her shirt was wrinkled as well. Both looked very embarrassed.

"What where you two doing behind the bed?" Brock asked as he set out the food he had brought them.

"Uh..." Ash began

"Pikachu, chu, chu, pika, pika chu!" (I didn't see them do anything, now, give me my ketchup!)

"Ash, translation please?"

"He says that he didn't see us do anything... and he would like you to give him his ketchup."

"Ah, so he didn't SEE you feel up Misty, eh? Thanks Pikachu, that's all I needed to hear"

Ash stared at Brock, mouth ajar and eyes wide. Misty colored deeply again.

Brock handed Pikachu a battle of ketchup, and rubbed him on the head.

"Come on, aren't you two hungry?"

Ash rarely lost his appetite, but today was one of the few days in his life that he felt like forfeiting his dinner.

"Don't worry, Ash, I will stop bugging you about it... Just don't get her pregnant."

This was going to be a LONG night...

Ambezua: I know what you are all thinking... No, Brock is not the villain, and from now on he will keep his promise to stop teasing them about their relationship. I know that this chapter was a bit fuzzy, but I wanted to give the readers an idea of the sort of relationship Ash and Misty had at this point in time. It really lays the groundwork for the next few chapters, even though they will have very little "fluff" in them. And don't worry... The villain will be turning up soon.


	2. Chapter two: Ditto

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All characters are the property of Nintendo

Ambezua: Ok, now it's time for some not-so-fuzzy adventures! Hold on to your hats, things are going to speed up pretty quickly.

Chapter two: Ditto...

At Brock's insistence, Misty had slept in a room by herself, and Ash, Brock, and Pikachu had slept in the other. Things seemed to be getting back to normal as they sat in the lobby enjoying thier breakfast. That is, until Misty heard a strangely familiar voice.

"Togepi!" Misty called

Sure enough, the small, egg-like pokemon waddled over to his "mommy." Misty picked it up and gave it a hug.

"Topiiii!" it cried, and snuggled up into Misty's lap.

Pikachu hopped off the table, leaving his half-empty bottle of ketchup, and snuffed the Togepi carefully. Pikachu wrinkled his noise... He didn't quite smell right...

"Wait a second..." Ash looked up from his breakfast.

Misty stopped cuddling the Togepi and froze

"Misty, that can't be Togepi, he evolved into a Togetic..." Ash reminded her.

The Togepi smiled for a second, then hopped up and began floating in the air. It then morphed back into it's original form, a Ditto.

"A DITTO?" they all exclaimed in unison.

Duplica poked her head out from around a corner and burst out laughing. She walked right up to Ash, and stopped with her face only a few inches from his face. Ash leaned back in his seat in a vain attempt to keep his face from being so close to hers.

"That's right, Ashy boy," she smiled, and batted her eyelashes, "That was very observant of you... Your friends here were really fooled though."

Misty growled, clenched her fists, and ground her teeth. Her heart rate quickened, and her eyes filled with fire. She suppressed her strong urge to beat Duplica black and blue with her mallet.

"Excuse me, but, would you refrain from flirting with MY boyfriend?" Misty didn't even try to hide the anger in her voice.

"Uh... Nice to see you again, Duplica," Ash blurted out, fully aware that he might soon be the cause of a cat-fight.

"Tell you what, Ashy boy,' Duplica backed off from Ash and Misty, reaching into her pocket for something, "how about I make it up to your girlfriend?"

Duplica handed Misty a small, golden necklace.

"Oh, thank you!" Misty exclaimed, happily putting it around her neck without a second thought. Perhaps Duplica wasn't so bad...

Then, the necklace transformed into a tiny caterpie.

Misty screamed, flung the caterpie off of her, and hid behind Ash.

"Ha, ha, ha," Duplica laughed, "oh, come on, can't you take a little joke?"

Misty shot Duplica a venomous glare as a warning, then rushed off to deal with Brock, who was making yet another attempt to get Nurse Joy's attention.

"I guess she doesn't like bugs... She should be glad to have a nice, strong, man to protect her," Duplica walked up to Ash and began to swirl her finger up in his hair.

"Uh... So, what are you doing around here, Duplica?" Ash tried to change the subject.

"Oh, well, you have seen how my Dittos can now change themselves into virtually anything I want them to, so I decided to see if they could transform into the unique pokemon that live around here."

"Unique pokemon, eh? What types of pokemon live around here?"

"Well, there is a cave around here known as the Lybarynth of confusion. It supposedly holds strong psychic-type pokemon, the likes of which only reside there. It's supposed to be very dangerious. I was going to look for some bodyguards, but I guess I won't have to... Now I have a pokemon master to protect me..."

By this time, Misty had managed to drag Brock away from the front desk.

"Don't worry, my love, I will return!" he called out, as Misty dragged him away by his ear.

"Hey, Mist," Ash gave her a small peck on the lips which greatly calmed Misty and caused Duplica to become jealous, "Duplica just invited us all to come with her on a pokemon hunt."

"Sounds like fun," Brock rubbed his ear, attempting to restore feeling to it

"Ok, but you had better promise to behave herself," Misty warned Duplica.

Duplica led the way to the cave, which happened to be just a short distance from the Pokecenter

""I have heard of Lybarynths before, in old legends. They were made to keep some secret treasure or secret hidden, and they were designed to deter people from attempting to find the treasure, since no one would want to get hopelessly lost in their dark passageways. Many of them also housed powerful and deadly monsters. A Lybarynth is sort of like a large maze, so when we get inside, everyone needs to stay together so that no one gets lost. We also need to make sure that we know how to get back out," Brock explained

"Stay together, don't get lost, keep a lookout for treasure, catch some rare pokemon, then get back out, ok, I got it," Ash grinned

"It won't be that easy Ash..." Misty said gently

"Oh, I 'm sure that there's nothing in that old cave that ashy boy can't handle," Duplica beamed

Everyone but Ash and Duplica "sweatdropped"

The opening to the Lybarynth jutted out of the side of the mountain, mostly in a mostly upward direction. Brock walked up to it for a closer look. There was an old, wooden sign that stood off tot he side of the opening which read: "The Lybarynth of Confusion WARNING: This cave contains powerful psychc pokemon. All those entering do so at their own risk."

Brock stuck his head through the square opening. It was pitch black inside, and he couldn't make out any distinct features.

"Ok... We will need a Pokemon which can illuminate the cave. It's really dark in there," Brock reported.

"That's not a problem. Go, Cyndaquil!" Ash threw the pokeball into the opening, which soon lit up with a redish light that rythmiclly flickered.

"Ditto, you become a Cyndaquil too," Duplica pointed toward the opening, and Ditto complied. Soon, there were two Cyndaquil wandering around the opening of the cave.

One by one, Brock lifted his friends into the Lybarynth, then jumped in himself. The walls were covered with pictures of strange pokemon, and unusual writing that he couldn't decipher. The passage itself was so narrow, they decided to walk in single file, although the passage was just large enough for them to squeeze by each other, if needed.. Ash's Cyndaquil walked up front, followed by Misty, then Brock, then Duplica, while Duplica's Ditto (currently a Cyndaquil) took up the rear. They continued to wander the passages, and at each intersection, Brock carefully marked their movements on a piece of paper.

Then, as they walked down one passageway...

"Hey, look!" Ash pointed toward a small, black, Digglett, "I think Cyndaquil could take him out easy."

"Um... Ash, are you sure that's such a good idea... The pokemon in here are powerful." Brock warned.

"Aw, come on, it's just a Digglet. Cyndaquil, use flamethrower attack!"

Cyndaquil filled the passage ahead with flmes.

"Dig, dig, dug..." the slightly dazed Digglet muttered.

It shook its head, then it's eyes began to glow...

"Ash..." Misty gripped Ash's shoulder tightly, "that looks like a Psybeam attack."

"Get down!" yelled Brock

The beam wizzed right over Cyndaquil, Ash, Misty and Duplica.

"Ok, Cyndaquil, use another flamethrower. That should finish him off."

After the flames had cleared, Ash threw a pokeball and easily captured the Digglet.

"See? No sweat, eh Brock?... Brock?" Ash looked behind him

Brock lay on his back, muttering nonsense.

"Uh oh... It looks like he was hit by the Digglet's Psybeam." Duplica observed.

Ambezua: How can't you love Duplica? I mean, come on...


	3. Chapter three: Team Rocket Returns

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All characters are the property of Nintendo

Ambezua: Guess who's back! As crafty and evil as ever, too...

Chapter three: Team Rocket Returns

"It's a lovely day for flying... Would you check on the passengers, Jenny dear?" Brock wandered around aimlessly with a goofy grin on his face.

"He is completely delusional..." Misty sighed, "but, oddly enough, he doesn't seem a whole lot different then usual."

"Digglet, Digglet, Digtrio!" faint voices could be heard int he distance.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Ash grabbed Brock and Misty's wrists, "RUN!"

The Digglet/Dugtrio hoard continued to gain on them as they rushed back through the passageway. They had apparently been disturbed by Cyndaquil's flamethrower attacks, and had come to investigate. The large amount of tunneling, however, caused the walls to crumble.

They scrambled down the passage as fast as they could, but the falling rocks and angered Digglet hoard continued to gain on them.

They came to a place were four paths met.

"Oh, great..." Misty sighed, "Which way do we take? I can't remember which one leads out."

"Well, Brock was keeping track... but he's currently out of commission..." Ash reminded her

"Are you sure? he's beginning to look better..."

"There's no need to fear... Brock is here!" Brock stood up straight, and attempted to strike an impressive pose.

Everyone (expect Brock of course) "sweatdropped"

"Yep... he's still out of it..." Misty wanted to blame Ash for the unfortunate turn of events, but she had enough sense to keep her mouth shut. Duplica, on the other hand, did not.

"Why don't you and Brock go that way, since he needs someone to keep an eye on him, and Ashy and I go this way?"

"WHAT?" That was more than Misty could tolerate.

"You have the audacity to try to steal my boyfriend? Who do you think you are? Do you have any idea of what I had to go through to win Ash's heart, and you want to steal him from me?"

"Perhaps if you weren't so selfish, you wouldn't be so blind to the simple facts..." Duplica quipped.

"Such as?"

"The fact that I am far more independent, far better-looking, and a much better trainer than you are. Not to mention that I am not some scrawny little brat that took YEARS to admit her feelings."

Misty wanted to rip her apart, limb from limb, but before she could think of a response, Ash spoke up.

"Uh, I don't think we have time for this now."

The walls and ceiling began to crack, and large pieces of rock began to fall. Before long, the passageway would collapse, and bury them under tons and tons of rock and earth. Brock slowly made his way down one of the paths...

"Brock, come back!" Ash called to him.

"I'll be back..." Brock murmured, just as the ceiling began to cave in.

Misty and Duplica stood frozen with fear as the rocks began to fall thicker and thicker around them

Thinking quickly, Ash grabbed both Misty and Duplica by their shirts and pulled them down the passage opposite the one Brock had taken, and out of harms way.

"ASH! Brock is stuck on the other side."

"I know... and I hope he is ok..."

"Oh, Ashy! You saved my life!" Duplica beamed. she reached out to hug Ash, but Misty stepped in the way.

"No girl hugs MY Ash except ME, understand?"

Ash stared at the pile of rocks in dismay, but quickly turned to follow Misty and Duplica, who where busily engaged in yet another heated argument

"CUT IT OUT!" Ash yelled.

Both Misty and Duplica stared at him with puzzled looks.

"Duplica, I love Misty, and till the day I die I always will... Can't you understand that? I love her just the way she is, and I wouldn't change a thing about her if I could."

Duplica stared at Ash with a rather blank expression. Perhaps she needed to take a different approach... Perhaps just making Misty look foolish wasn't enough.

Eventually, the rumbling stopped, as the Digglets had lost their trail. The explorers slackened their pace, as the danger seemed to have passed... for now at least. This allowed them to hear the subtle sounds in the cave... tiny whispers, and remotely audible drips. Ash even thought he heard the chatter of bats. Soon, he found out why.

The passage they were following opened up into a large cavern.

Stalagmites, nearly twenty feet tall, sprang up from the ground of the cave. Far above them loomed enormous stalactites, reaching all the way from the ceiling to where they nearly touched the stalagmites below them. There were also many pillars, which stretched from the very top of the cavern to the bottom. Here and there, clustered into little pockets, crystals gleamed in the fiery light that still emanated from the Cnydaquills' backs. The adventurers where awestruck at the magnificence of the cavern. Misty, who was, by now, quite exhausted, took a seat on a small, rock formation nearby. Sure, it was wet and cold, but it beat sitting on the cavern floor by a long shot.

"Pika..." Pikachu sniffed.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Ash looked down at the little electric pokemon, who was transfixed on a rather large cloud of chattering creatures.

"They look like..." Duplica began

"Ya, Crobats," Ash interrupted

The Crobats are easily disturbed by loud sounds, and the cave itself had amplified Ash's voice tenfold. It was as if Ash had woken them all up from their midday nap, and they were quite upset about it.

"Cro, cro, cro..." the chattered to each other.

"Oh, great... more running." Misty stood up and tried to force her legs to run, but they simply would not obey. She managed to keep up with Ash for a short time, only to be overwhelmed with fatiuge. She fell to her knees.

"Misty! Hurry, this way." Ash called after her.

"Ash... I can't.. run.. any longer..." She shut her eyes, and made a silent prayer that the crobats would give her a little mercy, "You go Ash, I'm not going to make it."

"I can't just let you give up!" Ash knelt over, and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and held on tightly.

Ash stood up, and managed to keep up a brisk pace while carrying Misty. Duplica had already run far ahead, even the light of her Cyndaquil began to grow dim.

The Crobat's voices came closer and closer...

They came to the edge of a large ravine.

"How on earth did Duplica manage to get across this?" Ash asked out loud, as he set down Misty.

"Go, Pidgeot!" Ash threw his pokeball high into the air, releasing his flying friend.

Ash quickly explained the situation to Pidgeot, then lifted Misty onto his shoulders.

"No, you take the first trip." Misty said quietly

"But, who would lift you up onto Pidgeot's shoulders? I'm not arguing with you, I have made up my mind. Now, GO! Hurry!"

Pidgeot flew off into the darkness... and not a moment too soon. The Crobats had arrived, and began biting at Ash and Pikachu.

"Pika, Pika, Pikachuuuuu!" (alright, your asking for it! Thunderbolt!) Pikachu managed to knock out a few dozen crobats with his thunderbolt, but there always seemed to be more of them. Pikachu continued battling the crobats, until he slumped over nearby Ash. Then, looking at how tired Pikachu had become, Ash got an idea.

"Go, Noctowl, use hypnosis!" He threw another one of his pokeballs into the air.

Noctowl softly "hooed" and obeyed: his eyes began to glow, and all the crowbats turned thier attention toward the small owl.

"Crrrrrr..." they murmured sleepily, then, one-by-one dropped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Well, I guess we showed them, didn't we Noctowl?"

Noctowl softly hooted a reply, then returned to the safety of his pokeball.

Pikacu crawled back onto Ash's hat, and gave a "v" for victory.

"Pika, Pika!" (We did it!) he said happily

Then... Ash heard a scream, and a pitiful cry from Pidgeot.

"MISTY!" Ash yelled out into the darkness.

"Prepare for trouble... " a spotlight lit up Jessie, who was standing on the other side of the chasm.

"...and make it double!" The spotlight turned to James, who stood to the left of Jessie, attempting to hold the same pose as Jessie.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie lept into the air, doing a complete somersault. The spotlight lit up a larger aria, so that both Jessie and James where now illuminated.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" James managed to pull off a cartwheel, and landed nearby Jessie.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Jessie slid across the slippery, rock floor.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James attempted to do the same, albiet with much less grace.

"Jessie!" The spotlight focused on her face

"James!" the spotlight seemed to get into his eyes a bit too much, so he squinted a bit as he delivered his line

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie jabbed her finger out at Ash.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James clutched a pokeball

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth flipped a switch, revealing himself as the spotlight operator. He jumped down from his purch to strike the final pose with his teammates.

"Team Rocket," Ash clenched his teeth, "you had better not hurt Misty!"

"Oh, we have no intention upon hurting her... If you hand over the Pikachu, I promise you she will be just fine."

"Ash, help me!" Msity cried, but Ash couldn't see her anywere.

"Where is she?" Ash demanded

"Ok," Meowth piped up, "go ahead, show da twerp his girlfriend."

A black Kadabra walked into the lit aria, his eyes were glowing a dark red.

Slowly, Misty began to float up out of the chasm.

Ash then realized what had happened. The Kadabra had hit Pidgeot with a Psybeam, causing him to drop Misty. Then, he simply started to levitate her.

"Ok, now you saw her, so are you ready for the little trade?"

"Let her go!"

"Pika, Pika!"

"I'm not sure that would be a wise decision..." Jessie motioned toward the Kadabra. Misty dropped a few feet, then floated back up.

"You see, whenever Kadabra loses his concentration, she slipps a bit. If he loses his concentration entirely, he might just drop her. It's a long way down..." Jessie continued.

"Ash, please help me!"

"I'm sorry, Pikachu, but you know that I don't have a choice."

"Pika..." Pikachu looked at Ash sadly, but seemed to understand.

Meowth held up a small device, and pushed the big red button on the top of it. A claw extended from the small device, snatched Piachu, who made no effort to escape, then returned. Meowth picked up Pikachu, and placed him into a electric-proof box.

"Nice doing buisness with you!" Jessie grinned, "Ok, Kadabra, send her over to the brat, and try not to drop her. So long!"

Team Rocket picked up Pikachu, and ran off into the darkness, gigling to themselves.

Misty landed gently on the cavern floor next to Ash. She rushed over and hugged him tightly.

"I was SO scared..."

"Aw, come on, Mist, you know I wouldn't let anyone hurt you."

"I-I know that... It's just terrible to think about what could have happened."

"It's alright... it's all over now. Your safe with me... And we will get Pikachu back too, you'll see."

As Ash wrapped his arms around her, however, he could sense that something wasn't quite right...

Ambazua: Oh, things are REALLY going to get interesting, and I hope you will like it!


	4. Chapter four: Torn Between Two Misty

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All characters are the property of Nintendo

Chapter 4 Torn between two Misty's

Ambezua: I know, the title sort of tells it all... Duplica is at it again!

"Come on, Mist, we have to find Brock and get back Pikachu before it's too late," Ash attempted to gently lift Misty off of his shoulder.

"Oh... Right... Well, I just didn't want to ruin the moment."

"Uh... You feeling alright Mist?"

"Yeah, sure I am, Ash. What makes you think I'm not alright?"

"I dunno... You just aren't actuing yourself. Normally you would get into an arguement about how we should find Brock before running off after Pikachu."

"That's such am immature thing to do! Why sit around and argue, wasting time when we could be trying to find our friends."

"I guess so..."

"Come, on, let's go."

Misty wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, as they slowly walked through the dimly lit cavern. Ash still felt pretty awkward about Misty though...

In another part of the cave, Team Rocket and the Kadabra walked along in the darkness as well, carrying with them Pikachu and another Misty as prisoners. They pulled the other Misty along by a rope tied around her wrists, and they lit the way with thier flashlights.

"That was a lot easier than I expected," James grinned.

"Of course it was, it was my plan after all," Jessie stood up, "even though we did have a little help."

"A little? Wat are ya talking about Jess?" Meowth gave Jessie a skeptical glance,"all you did was do all the talking. Kadabra here did all the hard work, and that other little twerp's deal allowed us to take along another hostage too."

"Who asked you anyway?!" Jessie smacked Meowth with one of her fans.

"Duplica is going to pay for this!" the other Misty shouted.

"Keep it down will ya? We aren't da only ones awound here ya know..." Meowth rubbed his head.

Misty carefully aimed a kick to the back of James' head, who held her rope.

"Hey... James!" she called.

"Hm?" James turned around.

The next thing he knew, he saw Pidgy's flying above his head, and he heard Jessie and Meowth yelling at him.

"James, you idiot! You let her get away!" Jessie fumed, "Come on, Kadabra, let's round up these twerps and send them out of your home."

"Dabra!"

Misty and Ash, meanwhile, continued looking for their friends.

"Hey, Misty, I think I see something coming towards us..." Ash nudged Misty.

"huh?"

Misty had nodded off a bit, and looked a little puzzled at being woken up so suddenly.

"Hey, there, folks!" Brock stepped into the dim light, speaking with a slight southern accent.

"Oh... Hi there Brock, good to see that your still alright."

"Wat you two fine people doing out at this time of night?"

"I guess your still not all quite back to normal yet, Brock..."

"That's not what I asked! And watch that tone of yours, son"

Just then, more footsteps could be heard... someone running.

"Ash! There you are, I'm so glad I found you before Duplica did!" the other Misty smiled.

When she saw Misty, though, her smile faded.

"Duplica! How dare you! If my arms weren't tied I would beat all the feeling out right out of your body!"

"Nice try, Duplica," Misty replied, "but Ash isn't falling for that old trick, right Ash?"

Ash looked from one of the Misty's to the other, and back again. From simply looking at them, he couldn't tell them apart. His head started to hurt.

"I'm sorry... I can't really tell the difference..."

"WHAT?" one of the Misty's fumed,"you mean that you could possibly be tricked by that pathetic attempt to mimic me?"

"Nice try, but your not fooling anyone, even Ash, as dense as he is, can see right through you."

"What are you talking about? If he could see through me, he would see that I'm the real Misty. It's you who should be worried."

The two Misty's continued arguing, each sounding a LOT like Misty to Ash.

Still... The Misty whose arms were still tied had something about her that seemed to tip him off. He walked right up to that Misty, and kissed her, right on the lips. The other Misty fumed.

"Yep... I think I know which Misty is the real one now." Ash blushed.

"Ok, now would you kindly untie me?" Misty pretended to be annoyed.

"Hey there, pretty momma..." Brock stepped up to the other Misty.

"Stop flirting with the enemy!" Misty slammed Brock with her mallet.

"Hey..." Brock seemed to have snapped back to reality with that one hit to the head,"what the frell is going on around here? Why is it so dark? Why is Duplica disguised as Misty?"

"It's a long story, Brock..." Ash sighed, and grasped Misty's hand.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket were discussing their next move.

"We can't just let her go!" James argued, "we need to keep up our part of the deal. Kadabra agreed to help us if we drove the brats out of his home."

"Shut up!" Jessie snapped, "that's none of our concern. All we need to do is get this Pikachu back to the Boss."

"Ya, rememba, we are da bad guys, we don't need ta keep ta our woid. Da good guys get ta worry about Kadabra when he gets upset, not us." Meowth added.

"Yeah, so keep it down, James. Do you want him to hear us?" Jessie seriously considered smacking James, but decided against it, seeing that it would draw additional unwanted attention from the already uneasy Kadabra.

"Bra, kadabara bra kadab?" the Kadabra walked up to Moewth

"What do ya mean? Of course the Pikachu belongs to us, why would we ever steal a Pikachu?" Meowth replied nervously.

"Pikachu pika chu Pikapi!" (I belong to Ash!) Pikachu spoke up.

"Kadabra kad kad bra dabra?" the Kadabra turned to Pikachu.

"This doesn't look good..." James stepped back.

"No, no, no no! This is a all just a big misunderstanding..." Meowth flailed his arms in the air.

"Pika pika, chu chu pikachu Pikapi!" (this is not a misunderstanding, they took me away from Ash!)

The Kadabra's eyes began to glow...

Team Rocket gulped.

"Well, itt looks like..."

The psybeam hit them head on, causing them to drop Pikachu's cage and fly right through several layers of solid rock walls.

"Were blasting off again!"

The Kadabra picked up Pikachu's cage, and began walking back into the darkness.

"So... Who says we tie Duplica up, then-" Misty was thirsty for revenge, but Ash quickly cut her off.

"Misty, I really don't think that will be necessary. After all, we might need her help to clean up this mess she has made."

"I am really sorry about Pikachu, Ash." Duplica sighed, with a hint of genuine remorse, "I will do my best to get him back. And please, Misty, don't take anything I have done personally. I really do think your a nice person. I just thought Ash deserved better."

"Well, that's not good enough," Misty huffed.

"Come on, you guys, we have to work together on this if we expect to get anywhere." Brock stepped up, attempting to prevent another physical outbreak between the two girls.

"Just keep HER away from me..." Misty ran back up to the front of the group with Ash.

"KADABRA!" the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.

They all jumpped back, and began looking around randomly for the source of the voice.

The Kadabra walked out of the darkness, stepped up to Ash, and placed Pikachu into his hands.

"Gee, thanks..." Ash held Pikachu tightly in one arm, and shook the Abra's hand with the other.

The Kadabra nodded his head, then began to beacon them to follow them.

"I guess Pikachu explained the whole thing to Kadabra. Wow... Pikachu must sure have a way with words."

"Pika, pika pi Pika chu..." (Oh, and don't worry about Team Rocket...)

"I think Pikachu wants us to know that Team Rocket wont be bothering us anytime soon." Ash smiled.

"That's good to hear. If Kadabra is leading us tot he exit, we should be out of here in no time." Brock glanced back at Duplica.

She seemed a bit upset, but she was glad that Pikachu was back.

"I guess it's smooth sailing form here!" Ash declared.

If only that were true...

Ambezua: Yes, the advenure continues! I promise more action, at least two more battles, and a showdown... Yes, and more psycic pokemon.


	5. Chapter five: The Inner Sanctuary

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All characters are the property of Nintendo

Chapter 5: The Inner Sanctuary

Ambezua: These last two chapters are going to be LONG, so don't say I didn't warn you...

The Kadabra continued to lead the adventurers through the darkness. Ash's cyndaquil still provided an ara of light that allow them to travel with some amount of comfort, but they still relied heavily on the Kadabra to lead them safely through the winding passages that connected the separate rooms in the caverns. There was little risk of being lost, since the Kadabra knew these passages by heart, and little changed in this world where the sunlight never reaches. As they continued on in silence, the Kadabra began to trust the humans. He could read their thoughts, and could feel their emotions. He knew that their intentions were pure, and that they were trustworthy, as far as humans come at least. He did have some suspicion over Duplica, who had assumed her normal appearance by now, but he let it pass. He knew that she didn't really mean any harm.

To show his trust in them, he decided to talk to them in the only way he knew that they would understand.

"Hello, do not be alarmed. My name is Samos, I am your guide. Yes, I also happen to be the Kadabra who now stands before you. I know that you cannot understand my vocal speech, so, I have decided to speak to you in your mind. That way, as I lead you, you can better understand me."

"Do you hear that?" Duplica jumped.

"Yeah, but it's no big deal..." Ash shrugged, "it sure makes things easier when we try to figure out what he is trying to tell us."

Just then, Samos lead them into one of the largest rooms they had so far encountered.

"Welcome, to the Crystal Room."

Ash, Misty, Brock, Duplica, Pikachu, and even Cyndaquil stood in awe of the most magnificent sight they had ever seen.

The walls, floor, and even the ceiling were covered with crystal outcroppings. blue, pink, and white quarts sprung up in bundles of two dozen or more, each crystal reaching lengths of nearly ten feet. Emeralds and rubies glittered from each corner, as light from some unseen source darted along the edges of the room and caused the entire room to glitter and glisten. Large, steep crystals, over fourty feet tall, towered above them, and stood as pillars on either side. The focal point of the entire scene, a spiral starecase made entirely of quarts, stood before them. It was like a palace of light and glamor, a sight that they would not soon forget.

Two Aggron ran up to Samos from hiding among the crystals. They seemed to be very irritated at the sight of the humans and their pokemon, but stayed focused on their mission. They began busily discussing something of great importance with Samos.

"Ag, ag, ag... aggron aggron, ron ag ag ron ron, on aggr, on aggron." the first shook his head.

"Aggron on, on ag ag agrron!" the second stamped her foot.

"It seems that you and your friends are not the only ones lost in this cave. Another explorer, about your age, but much more aggressive, has managed to stumble upon our inner sanctuary. Its energy maintains and repairs the Lybarynth. If he disturbs the inner energy of the cave, the entire Lybarynth may collapse. Many of us have attempted to stop him, but they have all failed. I will accompany you to theInner Sactuary. If you are successful, I will lead you and your friends to the surface safely, and with all our gratitude."

"Of course, we will be glad to help," Ash forgot that Samos had only spoken to him.

Everyone else looked at Ash with astonishment.

"Uh... I thinkn Samos could explain it better than I could..." Ash said sheepishly

Samos sighed, then began psycally explaining the situation to each of them.

"That Gary," Misty shouted, "he is really in over his head this time."

"Does Gary ever think about what he does, or is he entirely ruled by his pride?" Brock shook his head.

"How are you sure that Samos is referring to Gary?" Duplica asked.

"If you knew him, you would know why..." Ash decided not to go into all the details.

"Well, what are we waiting around for?" Misty waved her arms, "Let's get moving!"

Samos briefly gave a parting word to the two Aggron, then lead the way up the spiral staircase.

After walking up the apparently endless staircase for what seemed like hours, Duplica felt she could stand it no longer.

"Are we there yet?" Duplica whined

"Shut it, Duplica, we are all tired. Complaining about it won't help any." Misty snapped.

Just then, they found themselves at the top, looking up into an even larger room than the last. In fact... It was so large, it appeared to be more like an enormous, winding tunnel than a room.

"Welcome, to the Great River of the Lybarynth. Stay close, and don't wander off. I will try to convince the ferryman to allow you all to board his boat and take us down the river. It is the fastest way to the Inner Sanctuary."

Sure enough, the roaring, pitch-black river sped along at an almost unbelievable rate. If any boat could stay afloat, it would get to its destination in very little time at all.

Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's hat and held on tight. Ever since his encounter with the Goldeen, he had always been a bit apprehensive about swimming in deep water. Simply the sight of the dangerous, frothy, almost rapids-like waters clearly had a great affect on the small electric pokemon.

The Kadabra, meanwhile, was busily talking with a short, hooded pokemon who stood by the river's edge. Brock paced back and forth impatiently. Duplica brought out her dittos and had them turn into various pokemon by memory. Ash and Misty sat together, looking off into the forbidding river before them. Misty seemed quite comfortable around the river, she even wanted to go up to it for a closer look. Ash held a tight grip on her hand, he feared what might happen to her if she disregarded Samos' warning.

At last, Samos walked back up to them.

"He has agreed to give you all safe passage down the river to the Inner Sanctuary. He has asked, however, that you refrain from smoking on his boat, and that you keep your pokemon with you at all times. He hates it when his passengers wander around his ship, and insists that you all stay in the designated passenger's room."

Just as he finished, a small, crystalline boat rose from the water and drifted over to the shore. The captain let down some ramps for them to board, and soon, they were on their way. The swift boat cruised along, with it's captain at it's helm. The passengers waited below, in the small, cramped room Samos had led them to.

"It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic..." Misty sighed.

"I'm not either, but I do value my leg room," Brock groaned.

"Pika..." Pikachu had managed to find a reasonably roomy corner to sit in, just in time for everyone to slide into him as the boat rocked.

Then, something happened. With a high-pitched crash, something long and sharp pierced through the bottom of the crystal boat. Water began to rush through the whole, rapidly filling the small room.

"Goldeen, go find out what's going on out there!" Misty tossed a pokeball out through the hole

"Starmie, try to stop up the hole with your body," she threw another pokeball, this time inside the room.

Starmie quickly slammed his body against the hole, but the water continued to rush in at an alarming rate. more sharp barbs pierced the side of the boat, one of which nearly struck Brock's side

Brock picked up the barb, and looked over it carefully.

"It... looks like a cloyster's spike."

Samos burst into the room.

"Everyone, quickly, abandon ship! The ship is filling with water too quickly for us to get to port."

They all ran up to the deck, just as the boat sank from under them.

Loud whistles could be heard above the roaring of the water, as the humans and their pokemon struggled to stay together as they were swept downstream. Cyndaquil had already returned to his pokeball by this time, but Pikachu struggled to keep a firm hold onto Ash's arm. Duplica clung to Brock's arm, while Ash, Misty and Brock attempted to swim towards shore. At least a dozen Cloysters were leaping form the water, and shooting spikes out at them before diving back into the dark waters.

"Goldeen, Starmie, try to keep those Cloysters off us as we try to get to shore. Goldeen, use horn attack, Starmie, use water gun as soon as they jump into the air." Msity managed to yell above the roar of the water.

Goldeen lept into the air, and slammed into one of the Cloysters, while Starmie nailed two Cloysters clear out of the air with carefully aimed bursts of water.

"Go help them out, Staryu!" Msity tossed another pokeball into the water.

The Cloysters regrouped and renewed their attack.

Staryu dodged the first barrage of spikes, then slammed into one of the Cloysters with a rapid spin attack.

Starmie diverted several of the spikes with his water gun, dove into the water to dodge an aurora beam, tackled one of the Cloysters, then hit another with a rapid spin.

Goldeen busily engaged the Cloysters in an underwater battle.

She rammed into the Cloysters that wandered too close, but couldn't do much damage. Time after time, they merely withdrew into their protective shells and waited for goldeen to tire of battering them around.

Finally, the humans, Samos, and Pikachu managed to fight thier way to the shore. But, the cloysters weren't done with them yet. They lept out of the water for one last attack. Misty's pokemon rushed up to engage them but were swept aside with a couple of aurora beams. They took careful aim...

"Pikachuuuuuu" Pikachu lept up and sent a thunderbolt toward the Cloysters, frying them instantly.

Unfortunately, some of the stray energy bolts lept to the side and struck Ash, Misty, Brock and Duplia.

"How many times do I have to tell you Pikachu... Never use your thunderbolt when we are wearing wet clothes next to you!" a slightly-crispy Ash groaned.

"Starmie, Staryu, Goldeen, return. You all did a great job." Misty placed thier pokeballs back onto her belt.

Pikachu climbed up into Ash's backpack, but kept a sharp lookout through a small whole in the back.

"Behold... We have arrived..."

Ash and his friends turned around and beheld the front gate of the Inner Sancturary. It's tall, wide, steel doors stood slightly ajar, beckoning them to enter. The doors were covered with strange figures and ornaments, the meaning of which seemed lost to history.

"Onix, open up those doors." Brock let his mighty rock snake out of his pokeball.

Onix let out a might roar, then set to work. He grasped onto the door with his mouth, and pulled. The hinges creaked and groaned under the strain, as the door slowly opened. The room was completely dark, except for a single ray of light which came from a circular hole from the roof, and allowed a single ray of light to illuminate the Sanctuary's only occupant: The Regirock. At five foot, seven inches, it was quite an intimidating presence. It's head, shoulders, legs, and arms were completely constructed of stone. It's facets gleamed as it sat, quietly meditating.

It was apparently oblivious to the imminent danger. Slowly and sleepily, it stood up and walked towards Samos, ignoring the humans and thier pokemon entirely.

"Ah, it's good to see that you are not entirely useless. Although you may be a terrible trainer compared to me, you at least know how to open a door," Gary stepped through the open gates, "and just in time too."

"Pika! Pika pika chu, chu pi pi." Pikachu shouted in Gary's direction

"Gary! You don't understand, you have to leave. If you don't-" Ash turned around and faced his rival.

"I know what would happen, I would lose out on a chance to catch one of the most rare pokemon in the world, a Regirock. Now, step aside and watch how it's supposed to be done!"

"Gary, stop!" Misty left Ash's side and ran toward Gary.

"Go, Blastoise!" Gary flung his pokeball towards the still-sleepy Regirock. Blastoise popped out of his pokeball, ready for battle. Misty jumped out in front of Gary, and spread her arms out.

"You can't do this. If you weaken the Regirock, this entire cave might collapse." Misty explained.

"Hahaha, that's a good one..." Gary rubbed Misty's head like he would a little kid. Misty slapped his hand away.

"Don't you touch me!" she snapped.

"Gary, I challenge you to a pokemon battle. If you win, we won't stand in your way. If we win... You leave the cave!" Ash stepped in between Misty and Gary.

"If you want to be humiliated in front of your friends... Be my guest. This battle will be one-on-one. Choose your pokemon."

"Kadabra, I choose you!" Ash turned to Samos, who nodded in approval. He was willing to fight and even give his life for his home.

"You have a Kadabra? Hm... Blastiose, return, go Nidoking!"

"Kadabra, use Psychic!" Kadabra's eyes began to glow.

"Nidoking, use your horn attack!" Nidoking's horn began to glow, as he charged forward.

The Nidoking lept over the psychic beam, then slammed into Samos.

"Ka...Da...Bra" Samos painfully sat back up

"This isn't looking good for Ash," Duplica sighed.

"Pikapi, pika chu chu." (Ash, dont't give up.)

"Finish him off, Nidoking! Use a tackle attack!" Gary shouted

"Quickly, Samos, use reflect then recover." Ash countered.

Nidoking slammed into the reflective barrior, bounced off, and slammed into the wall. The shock waves caused several rocks to become dislodged and fell to the floor. Samos began meditating, and his wounds healed greatly.

"Go Ash!" Msity cheered. Duplica couldn't help but feel a bit guilty...

"Nidoking, use another horn attack, then thrash." Nidoking jumped back onto his feet, roared in anger, then rushed toward Samos.

"Samos, use Future Sight, then teleport out of the way of his attacks."

Just as Nidoking was about to slam into Samos, he vanished and appeared a short distance away. Nidoking slammed into the far wall, shook his head, then turned back around to attempt to thrash Samos.

Samos simply teleported out of the way of each of the attacks

"It looks like Ash is doing pretty well..." Brock mused, "Samos is a pretty strong battler."

Nidoking began looking a bit dazed from swiping away at thin air. His strength and speed diminished significantly.

"Now, Samos, finish him off with psychic!" the beam struck Nidoking dead-on, sending him into the wall once again. Nidoking slumped over, unable to battle further.

"Nidoking... return..." Gary said softly.

"Ok, Gary, I have defeated you. Now you must leave like you promised."

"Alright... but just after I pick up a little something for my trouble." Gary whipped out a pokeball.

"Blastoise, Use hyper beam on the Regirock."

Blastiose obeyed, sending the powerful blast right into the Regirock's chest. It groaned in pain, but refused to retaliate.

'Why doesn't he fight back?' Misty wondered.

"Go, pokeball" Gary tossed the pokeball, and caught the Regirock.

"Ha, see you later... losers" Gary sneered, and ran out of the inner sanctuary.

Ambezua: Yes, I firmly believe Gary is that evil... Next chapter should be up soon!


	6. Chapter six: Duplica's Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All characters are the property of Nintendo

Chapter 6 Duplica's Redemption

Ambezua: Aw, yes... That's right... Duplica is a hero!

The walls began to shake, and boulders began to fall from the ceiling.

"Onix, try to keep the ceiling fomr falling, let's get out of here!" Brock yelled.

A large rock fell right past Brock's shoulder, and rolled along the ground. It bushed past Ash and slammed right into Misty, pinning her to the ground.

"Pikachu!" (No!)

"Misty!" Ash rushed to her side.

"Ash... Just leave me, get out while you still can..." Misty whispered.

Pikachu lept out of Ash's backpack, and stood near Misty. Pikachu had grown to be quite close to Msity, and was determined not to abandon either Ash or Misty, even if it meant his death.

"I'm not leaving without you..." Ash's eyes began to water.

Duplica looked at Onix, as he struggled to keep the larger rocks from caving in onto them. She turned toward Ash kneeling by Misty's pinned body, and Brock who was fantically pulling at the rock which held Misty down. She knew that if she didn't do somthing quickly they would be buried alive.

"Go, Ditto! Transform into a Regirock!"

"Ditto!" the pokemon could feel the urgency of the matter, and went to work right away. Within a few seconds, it had sucessfully completed the trasformation.

"Go, get that rock off of Misty."

The Ditto ran over to Msity, hoisted up the rock, and flung it to the far side of the room. Brock and Ash picked up Misty and carried her over to Duplica.

"Come on, Duplica, we have to leave. the whole place will collapse in any minute!" Brock shouted.

"No, you guys get out. this is all my fault, and I am going to fix it. Now, GO!" Duplica shoved Ash and Brock out of the sanctuary, then ran back to her Ditto.

"Onix, stay there and give Duplica as much time as you can. Meet up with us at the surface..." Brock ordered, then continued running.

Samos telepathically lead them toward the exit, then walked back to Duplica.

"Mini ditto... Transform into a hoothoot, and get yourself to safety. I have enjoyed being your trainer, but I am affriad that this is the end of the line. Please go."

The tiny Ditto (transformed into a Hoothoot) sadly nodded, and flew off into the darkness.

Duplica looked over to her Ditto, who looked back at her loyally. Her Ditto had never doubted her, it would obey any order she gave it.

"I guess... It's time... Jump up as high as you can, use Superpower, lift the rocks from off of Onix to allow him to escape as well, then use explosion!"

Ditto knew that Duplica had very little chance of survival, so, it gave her one last friendly grin, then obeyed her orders.

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu continued running down the exit shaft.

"Almost there... Almost there..." Brock huffed.

Some rocks collapsed right in front of them, blocking the exit... Then, Duplica's Ditto exploded. The shock wave sent Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu clear out of the caves, and out onto the surface.

Samos turned toward Duplica, who seemed to have accepted her fate. She had sacrificed her own life for that of Misty, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu. Such selflessness proved to Samos that Duplica had, indeed changed. The boulders which had been dislodged by the explosion fell faster and faster toward Duplica. She stood still, slowly closed her eyes, and waited. Samos walked up to her, and grasped her hand... then, the rocks hit the ground with a loud crash...

Misty, Ash, and Brock awoke to find themselves in the Pokecenter, lying on the couches in the waiting area.

"I'm glad your all awake now. I found you all not far from the road, and this young lady had a broken leg. I managed to set it into a cast without much difficulty." Nurse Joy smiled.

"Thanks Nurse Joy," Ash sat up.

"Pikapi!" (Ash!) Pikachu hopped over to Ash and gave him a hug.

"I have also taken the privilege of healing all your pokemon for you," Nurse Joy continued.

"But..." Misty looked around the lobby, "where's..."

"Hello everyone!" Duplica ran up and gave Misty a hug.

"But... How did you..." Brock paused.

"Samos teleported me out of the cave at the last second." Duplica explained.

"Uh... Well, thank you for saving our lives, Duplica." Ash managed to speak up.

"Anything for you... Ashy boy."

Everyone laughed, even Pikachu.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket...

"Gah... Why can't I see straight?" Jessie asked, as she stumbled over some bushes.

"Well, as least you CAN see," Jessie replied, as he held his hands over his eyes and wandered around aimlessly, "My eyes won't even focus..."

"Why do these things always happen to us bad guys..." Meowth sighed, and sat down, "Even bad guys deserve a break once and a while, right?"

"Wobbuffett!" Wobbaffett popped out of his pokeball.

And last, but not least...

Gary walked along, thinking of how clever he had been. Then... Samos materialized in front of him.

"You have caused enough trouble... Now, hand over Regirock!"

Samos' eyes began to glow. Gary shuttered at the thought of what could have happened next.

"Ok, ok, you win!" Gary ran off into the woods, throwing the pokeball into the air.

Samos caught the pokeball, then vanished from sight once again.

The End

Ambezua: Aw... don't you love happy endings? I told you that Duplica wasn't the villian... Please give me feedback! Oh, and, please keep in mind that I wrote up these last few chapters VERY quickly, so they still have a LOT of spelling/gramatical errors. I will try to clean them up as best I can over the next few days.


End file.
